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Federal law to expand coverage to kids is off to slow start

USA Today: "A federal law that President Obama signed early last year to expand health insurance to 4 million more low-income children has gotten off to a slow start because of budget problems in the states. The law makes more than $10 billion in federal aid available each year through 2013 but requires state funds as well."

25 May 2010

KHN Consumer column: Insuring your health – College student health plans often get low marks

In this Kaiser Health News column, produced in collaboration with The Washington Post, Michelle Andrews writes: "Aaron Smith is learning the hard way that student health insurance has limits.

25 May 2010

HHS 'special mailing' on health law's immediate Medicare benefits sparks GOP grumbles

CQ HealthBeat: "Education or propaganda? Or 'beyond propaganda?' The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday that it will soon send Medicare beneficiaries a special mailing on 'the immediate benefits they may see' from the health care overhaul law. Getting accurate information about key provisions of the law will help Medicare enrollees 'to be on the alert for any scams asking for personal information,' explained acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner in an agency news release Monday.

25 May 2010

State regulators mull definition of medical loss ratio

News outlets report on efforts to define what will be considered "medical expenses" when it comes to the mandated medical loss ratios in the new health law.

25 May 2010

Experts question 'doc fix' as Reid threatens weekend work on bill with COBRA, Medicare provisions

Politico: Experts are questioning the virtues of the three-year Medicare "doc fix" that would stave off cuts to Medicare doctors' pay but set up a larger fight down the road. ... In health policy circles, the 'doc fix' has become emblematic of Washington's worst habits: a potentially solvable policy problem run amok for about a decade now, bogged down in pure politics and accounting gimmicks. The 'doc fix,' a last-minute infusion of funds to head off a looming doctor pay cut under Medicare, hits the floor this week via the tax extenders bill ..."

25 May 2010

DOJ warns hospitals, insurers: Mergers will be scrutinized

The Obama administration warned the health care industry Monday that it "won't hesitate to block mergers that threaten to stifle competition," The Associated Press reports.

25 May 2010

MAQUET Cardiovascular commences enrollment in trial of FUSION and FUSION BIOLINE Vascular Grafts

MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC today announced enrollment of the first patient in FINEST (FUSION Vascular Graft, FUSION Vascular Graft with BIOLINE and EXXCEL SOFT ePTFE). This prospective, randomized, single-blind, three-arm, parallel group, multi-center study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of MAQUET's investigational FUSION Vascular Graft and FUSION BIOLINE Vascular Graft, compared with its commercially available EXXCEL Soft ePTFE Vascular Graft in peripheral artery bypass surgery.

25 May 2010

First Edition: May 25, 2010

Today's headlines reflect health policy action at the federal level as the Obama administration issues a warning to the insurance industry about mergers and urges the courts to dismiss Virginia's lawsuit against the health reform law.

25 May 2010

Hawaii Pacific Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System and XCelience achieve CEO Cancer Gold Standard

Hawaii Pacific Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System N.J., and XCelience LLC, have received CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation, recognizing the commitment of these organizations to reducing the risk of cancer for employees and their families by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.

25 May 2010

AlphaMed Press earns CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation

AlphaMed Press has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation, recognizing the organization's commitment to taking concrete actions to reduce the cancer risk of its employees and their families through screenings, early detection, and healthy changes in lifestyle and in the workplace.

25 May 2010

Excessive amounts of HSP10 inside mitochondria can halt body's ageing process: Researchers

HSP10 (Heat Shock Protein), helps monitor and organise protein interactions in the body, and responds to environmental stresses, such as exercise and infection, by increasing its production inside cells. Researchers at Liverpool, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of California, found that excessive amounts of HSP10 inside mitochondria - 'organs' that act as energy generators in cells - can halt the body's ageing process by preserving muscle strength.

25 May 2010

KHN column: London fog

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "He's a socialist! He'll redistribute wealth! He wants to pull the plug on grandma! That's what Republicans said about President Obama back in 2009, while he was trying to make health care reform bill law.

25 May 2010

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Researchers estimate that 7.7 million children under the age of 5 will die this year, an indication that global child deaths "seem to have fallen faster than officials thought," according to a study, published online Monday in the Lancet, the Associated Press reports (Cheng, 5/23).

25 May 2010

Bayer's Adalat XL product and Mylan's nifedipine extended release 60 mg not bioequivalent: Study

Bayer Inc. today responded to Professor Marvin Meyer's letter to the editor, entitled: "Critical questions concerning the validity of the Bayer study report of differences in bioavailability between 60 mg of nifedipine osmotic push-pull systems after fasted and fed administration" and published in the online edition of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Bayer responded to the clinical relevance of the differences in formulation and dissolution behaviour and the delayed absorption of Mylan's extended release nifedipine.

25 May 2010

WHA endorses interim targets to eradicate measles as WHO warns disease on the rise

"Measles is making a rapid comeback in African, Asian and even some European countries despite being easily avoided through vaccination, the World Health Organization said Friday as countries pledged to sharply cut infections and deaths worldwide by 2015," the Associated Press reports (Jordans, 5/22). On the final day of the 63rd Annual World Health Assembly, the assembly endorsed a series of interim targets towards the global eradication of measles, VOA News reports.

25 May 2010

States struggle with poor dental care

Reports show that California and Wisconsin have poor dental care, while various communities try to improve lagging dental care indicators.

25 May 2010

Patients question HIPAA provision that allows use of patient data for fundraising

The federal law known as HIPAA that is meant to protect the privacy of patients "specifically allows medical centers to use patient information for fundraising activities," The Seattle Times reports.

25 May 2010

AAPA, ACP release policy monograph on critical health care issue

The American Academy of Physician Assistants and the American College of Physicians today released a policy monograph that supports the critical roles physician assistants and physicians play in improving access to high-quality primary care. The paper, "Internists and Physician Assistants: Team-based Primary Care," results from a months-long collaborative project.

25 May 2010

Shah to discuss U.S. role in global agriculture at Food Security Investment Forum in Bangladesh

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah will arrive in Bangladesh on Tuesday to participate in the Food Security Investment Forum and other meetings, All Headline News reports (5/23).

25 May 2010

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

"Lawmakers earlier this year vigorously fought Gov. Haley Barbour's proposal to close four state mental health hospitals and six crisis centers as a budget-saving measure. Now, nonprofit-run centers that offer front-line services for the mentally ill in some of the poorest communities across Mississippi could face closure."

25 May 2010

Health Care News and Research

Federal law to expand coverage to kids is off to slow start

KHN Consumer column: Insuring your health – College student health plans often get low marks

HHS 'special mailing' on health law's immediate Medicare benefits sparks GOP grumbles

State regulators mull definition of medical loss ratio

Experts question 'doc fix' as Reid threatens weekend work on bill with COBRA, Medicare provisions

DOJ warns hospitals, insurers: Mergers will be scrutinized

MAQUET Cardiovascular commences enrollment in trial of FUSION and FUSION BIOLINE Vascular Grafts

First Edition: May 25, 2010

Hawaii Pacific Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System and XCelience achieve CEO Cancer Gold Standard

AlphaMed Press earns CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation

Excessive amounts of HSP10 inside mitochondria can halt body's ageing process: Researchers

KHN column: London fog

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Bayer's Adalat XL product and Mylan's nifedipine extended release 60 mg not bioequivalent: Study

WHA endorses interim targets to eradicate measles as WHO warns disease on the rise

States struggle with poor dental care

Patients question HIPAA provision that allows use of patient data for fundraising

AAPA, ACP release policy monograph on critical health care issue

Shah to discuss U.S. role in global agriculture at Food Security Investment Forum in Bangladesh

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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